Shot in the foot! Andy Robinson rues self-inflicted Scots wounds

Andy Robinson didn't even attempt to hide his frustration last night at the way his team allowed France to grab the initiative, and ultimately victory, in yesterday's Six Nations opener.

Scotland may have notched three tries and put up a spirited showing against the reigning champions in this defeat - but self-inflicted wounds proved their downfall.

All four of France's touchdowns came from turnover ball, and several promising Scottish attacks fell apart because they failed to hold on to possession in contact.

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For head coach Robinson, this overshadowed all the positives his team displayed in a match where they showed great courage and an admirable desire to ask questions of their opponents.

'I was delighted with the attitude the players showed and the way we went about this game,' he said. 'But we are here to win Test matches and we must be ruthless about what we are trying to do.

'For France to score four tries from our turnovers is not good enough and we need to have a bit more composure.

'I thought we handled the French very well in their phased attacks. We defended their mauls well and we were able to deal with their strike runners - but what we all know about the French is that you don't give away turnovers and you don't let them counter-attack.'

'We gave them the freedom to be the fantastic side that they showed themselves to be today.'

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Asked if he took any satisfaction from his team's performance, Robinson acknowledged the contribution of a handful of standout performers.

'I thought Joe Ansbro played very well in the midfield,' he added. 'We managed to get Nikki Walker and Max Evans on the ball and attacking the line, Dan Parks played a very good game for us, as well.

'The balance was good whether we were running off the scrum-half or stand-off. 'n the pack, Al Kellock got over with a very good try, and I was really impressed with Richie Gray, who stepped up with his ball carrying and some outstanding defence.

'However, we are not here to be unlucky losers - and that is what we have to underline when it comes to talking about the way we play the game and our attitude to looking after the ball, particularly when we have managed to build momentum.

'We play Wales at Murrayfield next week and they are another very good counter-attacking side. If we give them that amount of ball, they will put us under a lot of pressure.'

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Another source of concern for the Scotland squad as they look ahead to next week's showdown will be the vulnerability of their scrum. France scored a penalty try in the first half and had the Scottish pack under serious pressure throughout.

While Robinson, and team captain Kellock, were keen to pay tribute to the power of the French set-piece, they didn't shy away from the fact that Scotland have to be able to fight fire with fire in this crucial area of the game in order to be successful at this level.

'We weren't surprised by the French scrum because we know how good they are. 'But, at the same time, we know that what happened out there is not acceptable.' said Kellock.

'If we are going to win games in this Six Nations, which is what we intend to do, then we have to have a stable platform for our backs to attack off - so we need to sort it now.'

Robinson added that he had no complaints about the penalty try English referee Wayne Barnes awarded against Scotland midway through the first half.

'If I was on the other side, I would have been screaming for a penalty try, too,' he said. 'If you are beaten to the hit near your own line, and the opposition scrum is going forward, then you accept the consequences. We knew what was coming.

'We have a lot of respect for the French scrum. We think it is the best in the world.' 'They dominated us at the scrum and their attacking play from turnovers was very fast and very skilful.'

French coach Marc Lievremont had come under pressure following the loss to Australia in the autumn and was relieved with the victory. He said: 'It was a victory but the Scots fought hard and were always in the game.'